


Home

by shuushuushuu



Category: Venom (Comics), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Alien Sex, Domestic Fluff, Getting to live together, M/M, Tentacle Sex, Tentacles, slowburn, symbrock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-03 23:02:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16334906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shuushuushuu/pseuds/shuushuushuu
Summary: After their fight against Riot, Eddy sorts out his life. His old job, a new flat - and many questions between himself and his Symbiote.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this fic right after watching the movie - and that's where the story starts.
> 
> Please understand, that english is not my native language.   
> Anyway... enjoy!

A loud ‚thump‘ echoed through the room, when the last box hit the wooden floor. Eddy’s body started to feel lighter, as Venom retreated inside. An alien parasite sure came in handy, when you planned to move from one house to another in just one single day. Venom had no problems with carrying heavy boxes and furniture around and the only problem had been to find a movement company, that was willing to let him borrow a truck for 2 nights and a day for a reasonable price. Because of course a gooey, pitch-black Alien with razor-sharp teeth, carrying around boxes and cupboards in the bright day would have made for one hell of a panic in town.

Tomorrow morning, some guy from the moving company would come and pick up the now empty truck, which now parked outside Eddy’s new home.

 **OUR new home!** Venom corrected instantly. **Besides, I’m not a parasite!**

Eddy could hear the sulky note in Venoms voice and chuckled. “Of course, you’re not. You’ve been a lot of help today, really!” Stretching his body, he yawned. His body felt strained and tired, even if it had been Venom doing most of the heavy work. Still, it was exhausting.

**Hungry!**

Eddy sighed. It was obvious, that Venom was still sulking. But well, maybe it was just his hunger that brought out his bad mood. Searching the room for his suitcase, in which he had packed everything he would need in the first days, he found a flyer from a pizza service. “Which do you like?”  
Eddy felt a tickling sensation in his neck, when Venoms head emerged from his skin. He couldn’t help but shudder slightly. It wasn’t something new to him, of course. It had been almost a month since he and Venom had first met, so he had had some time to get used to it.

After everything that had happened, Eddy had refused to move into his old apartment. The police was still trying to figure out what had happened there, and Eddy would have been forced to stay in custody for questioning for several days, if Annie had not managed to get him out. She had insisted he used her and Dan’s guest room and he had accepted reluctantly. Despite having back his job, he did not have the money to afford a hotel room for an extended time and looking for a new apartment while staying in custody was not an option either.

Still, he did not want Annie (or even worse: Dan) to know, that Venom was still with him and therefore Venom had been grounded inside him for most of the time. Eddy was glad, this would change now, because this whole secret-keeping thing and Venom’s complaints were starting to get on his nerves.

 **Do they serve it with heads?** “No, Venom. No heads.”

 **Lobsters?** “No, only tuna.”

 **Chocolate?** “On pizza?? Gross.” Eddy shoved Venoms head away playfully, laughing.

“How about the ‘Triple-Meat-Beast’ for you?” He pointed to the monthly special, where a massive mountain of ham, bacon and meatballs was sitting on a pizza, topped with a whole lot of cheese. Venom gave a low sound of approval.

**Biggest size they have. Two of them. And some chicken wings and ice cream for dessert.**

Eddy rolled his eyes. “As you wish!” Only for today, he would not argue. Thanks to Venom, their new home was almost comfortable already. Of course, he would still need some days to unpack everything, but all furniture was in place, so that he could lounge on the sofa while calling the pizza service. Some more tickling in his neck, as Venom emerged further, laying his head on Eddy’s shoulder. For a moment, Eddy fell still and licked his lips, before resuming his order. This was distracting…

After a minute, he ended the call. “45 minutes”, he mumbled and let himself fall back against the sofa. Closing his eyes, he felt Venom follow the movement, fine tendrils gripping his arm. Eddy tried to relax, but it did not work. Venom was ever-moving and it felt strange to have him on his bare skin. The last months, Eddy had always been wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, if possible even a high-collared shirt. It wasn’t unusual, since it was winter after all, but today Eddy had opted for a muscle shirt instead, expecting to sweat a lot while working.

Eddy tried to hold still and get used to the strange feeling. When Venom took control, coated his whole body, it felt different. Maybe because there was a layer of fabric between them, or at least it felt like it was. Eddy knew that Venom could go through fabric easily, but still… It made no sense.

While small tendrils tickled his neck, a thicker tentacle snaked itself around his shoulder – the one where no alien head was making himself comfortable – and over his chest. Sighing, Eddy lifted his hand to grab it softly.

**Does that feel bad?**

Eddy opened one eye lazily to look at Venom. “Tickles…”, he answered in a low, sleepy voice. Yawing again, he lifted his feet off the floor and laid himself down on the sofa completely. “Let’s take a nap…”, he mumbled and let Venom hug him with another tentacle. It sure was a strange feeling, but for now, he needed some rest and the gooey black slime was unexpectedly warm and comfortable to lie in.

 

***

 

**EDDY!**

The deep voice in his head made Eddy startle so much that he jumped up and fell from the sofa. With loud ‘thump’ he landed on his butt.

**Open the door!**

Groaning and stumbling, Eddy came to his feet, still half-asleep. “What the he-“ The doorbell rang and interrupted him. Throwing an irritated look at the door, he hesitated for a moment.

**Pizza!**

Oh. Suddenly Eddy remembered. “Hang on, just a second!”, he yelled at the door and stumbled to the kitchen table, where he grabbed his wallet. Seconds later, he opened the door. The delivery boy poised two big pizza boxes through the door. On top of them, Eddy’s own standard-sized pizza and salad looked tiny. He helped the boy setting everything on the sofa table, thanked and paid him. When he was gone, Eddy leaned on the closed door for a moment and breathed deeply.

“I swear, if you scare me awake again, we will only eat salad and broccoli for two whole weeks!”, he groaned, his heartbeat only now slowly going back to normal.

**Understood. Now pizza!**

Sighing, Eddy sat down on the sofa and opened the boxes (only one of Venom’s boxes though, because they were simply too big to fit on the table, if not stacked).

**Gross.**

Eddy blinked at Venom’s head, that hat emerged from his shoulder. Puzzled, he followed his glance and understood a second later. “It’s salad, Venom. Humans need some vitamin from time to time, you know?” He smiled a little at the sight of Venom’s disgusted grimace. He would get used to it eventually. At least Eddy hoped so.

They started eating and aside from his own low chewing and Venom’s loud hoeing in, it was quiet. No Annie talking about a case, no Dan talking about the weather, no Venom sulking, because he was not allowed to show himself. It was almost peaceful, at least for some minutes. Then a long gooey tendril extended towards the now-empty pizza box, ready to throw it aside. Eddy was faster and slapped the tentacle away. “Don’t you dare!” Venom gave him a confused, half angry look and withdrew the tentacle. Growling so low, Eddy could feel it vibrate in his guts, Venom waited for Eddy to put the empty box underneath the other and opening it for him.

“No mess in this house, ok? No crumbles on the sofa, no trash on the floor and most importantly: Nothing leaves the trash unless we take out the trash!” Venom, who already had started with his second pizza in the meantime gave him an annoyed look. He chewed slowly and swallowed audibly.

**You got an awful lot of rules. Don’t be surprised if I can’t memorize them all at once.**

Sulking again. Eddy sighed. “Just try, ok?” He gave Venom a smile and shoved a piece of pizza between his vicious teeth, before he could say anything more. They finished their pizza in silence, with Eddy watching Venom most of the time. He had got used to having another presence in his head. Well, a little at least. But there were still so many things he did not understand about Symbiots. While they were living with Annie, Venom had not been able to eat with them and had been seemingly content about it. Eddy sometimes had sneaked a piece of meat from dinner or invited them to take-out for lunch (which they hastily ate in an alley, so Venom would not be seen), but considering Venom’s appetite that could not have been enough at all. He had been wondering, if maybe Venom shared his digestive system, but it didn’t make any sense. Venom had swallowed whole human heads, then retracting immediately after. There’s no way his own human stomach could have handled that. Suddenly he felt sick at that thought. He did not want to think about his own organs digesting human flesh.

**What about it? It tastes good…**

Eddy made a face and shook his head. “It’s cannibalism and it’s gross!” He eyed Venom, who looked completely unaffected by the idea of eating your own species. “Humans do not eat other humans.” He explained, wondering if cannibalism was maybe common for symbiotes. He preferred not to ask.

Instead, he leaned back on the sofa, full and content. Venom had finished the second pizza already and did not seem very happy about it.

 **Should have ordered 3...** he mumbled and retracted himself far enough into Eddy’s body, that only his head remained resting on his shoulder.

“You just ate more than in the last 2 weeks combined”, Eddy stated, his hand coming up to Venom’s chin, where some tomato sauce had spilled. Venom licked it off his finger without comment.

**That’s why I’m starved. You need vitamins, I need other nutrients.**

Eddy nodded, understanding. Protein, he guessed. And sugar, since Venom seemed to love chocolate. Possibly even a lot of carbs, but Eddy was not sure if Venom only liked tater tots because of the salt. He found himself wonder again, how a symbiote even worked. “So, are you eating heads because of the taste, or because of nutrients? I mean… the biker gang-leader you ate still wore his helmet. You can’t tell me THAT was tasty.” He grimaced. Not this topic again. But maybe it was better to just know now than to wonder forever.

**It’s the brain that’s delicious. And it’s a lot of nutrients for such a small bite.**

Eddy shook his head. “But you COULD get your nutrients from something else?”

**Of course. Chocolate is also good.**

“You eat it because of nutrients?” This was more confusing than clarifying.

**I like the taste, too.**

This was interesting. So, chocolate had the same nutrients as brains? Only that brains have much more of it? Eddy made a mental note to look that up on the internet. For the moment, at least he knew a little bit more. He stretched himself, yawning loudly. “Help me put away the trash, it’s getting late.” Some helpful tentacles stretched out and neatly folded the boxes, so Eddy only had to take them to the trashcan. He opened a small box sitting on the kitchen counter and took out chocolate bar. He unwrapped it quickly and tossed it into Venom’s already opened mouth. A low, satisfied rumble echoed through Eddy’s body and he was not sure if it was actually audible, or if it was just in his head. He shook off the feeling and went to the bathroom. After having spent half the day packing boxes and the other half inside Venom’s hard-working body, he was sweaty and tired.

Venom took his time to mumble on his chocolate, licking his mouth eagerly to catch any remaining crumbs, before he retracted into Eddy’s body, so he could get undressed. Stepping under the hot spray of water, he thought about Venom swimming them through the bay. His Symbiote did not seem to be having any trouble with water, still he insisted of vanishing completely whenever Eddy took a shower or a bath. Not that Eddy would complain, since it was quite rare for Venom to be quiet, but still it was strange. Maybe the shower gel was uncomfortable for him? Or maybe it was the heat? Venom had told him, fire was harmful to him. Maybe it was high temperatures in general that hurt him?

Eddy knew, that Venom could read his mind. Still, his Symbiote did not answer and Eddy decided not to dig deeper. Enough questions for today.

He hurriedly washed himself, left the shower and smiled, as helpful tentacles reached out for a towel to dry him up. “Thank you”, he smiled and grabbed a second towel from the box sitting on top of his washing machine to dry his hair and shoulders.

**Can we get more pizza for breakfast?**

“Are you still hungry?” Eddy smiled and shook his head. His Symbiot’s appetite really was endless, on the other hand Venom had not gotten a sufficient meal in almost 2 weeks and indeed was starved. AND, Eddy had to admit, at least he had not asked for some heads for breakfast. He counted that as an improvement. “I’ll think about something. Promised!”

Still naked, he walked to the bedroom. Now that they were alone, he did no longer have to be considerate of anyone. Sighing, he eyed the many boxes containing his bed sheets, clothes and blankets. Good thing he had made the effort of organizing everything with little labels. (To be honest, it had been Annie’s idea) He opened one of the boxes and found a blanket and a pillow inside. Already yawning, he flopped down on his mattress. He would re-assemble his bed tomorrow.

When he snuggled under the blanket, he felt Venom emerge from his shoulder, his slick head cuddling up against his neck. Warm tentacles wrapped around his waist and chest.

**Ahhhh…. That feels nice…**

Now, Venom had really spoken aloud. Eddy shivered slightly, as his warm breath touched his neck. He opened his mouth to answer but said nothing. Instead, he just sighed contently and let himself be hugged. They could talk this out tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Eddie spent the next morning and most of the afternoon unpacking, skipping lunch and only stopping for an occasional sip of water. The moving company had sent a man in the morning to pick up the truck, so Eddie had been woken up at 7am by a grumpy old man fetching the keys. Not the best way to start a day, but at least after almost 8 hours of work the apartment looked like home.

Eddie stretched his back and yawned. Looking around he found himself smiling. Venom, who thankfully had been quiet for most of the day, seemed to catch his good mood.

**I like it. The thing you call ‘home’.**

Eddie gave a soft laugh. “Actually, it’s more a feeling than a thing. People call the place they live ‘home’, but what they really mean is the place they feel at home at.” He stopped for a moment, thinking about how this probably didn’t make sense to Venom at all. “It’s the feeling of belonging somewhere. So… for example, your family can be your home too.”

For a moment, it was silent, and Eddie thought about another way to make Venom understand, but he couldn’t. It was a feeling that was hard to put into words, if you had never experienced it yourself.

**In that case…**

Venom’s voice sounded different than usual. The deep, vibrating baritone held just a nuance of sadness, almost impossible to catch.

**YOU are the only ‘home’ I know.**

Eddie, who still had been thinking about how to explain, stopped. As if his brain had just undergone an emergency brake, he was unable to react for some moments. Then, his usual half-smile was back.

“Just because you live inside me, doesn’t mean it’s the same as calling your apartment ‘home’!”, he scolded jokingly. He strolled over to the fridge, which only held some chocolate, two tomatoes and a six-pack of beer. Eddie sighed. “We need to go shopping…”

Stretching his strained neck, he looked down at himself and decided, that his sweaty shirt would do for now, so he just switched his sweatpants for a pair of jeans and left the house.

The nearest supermarket was about 20 minutes away. Eddie looked at the small house he now called ‘home’. It was tiny and looked somewhat unreal for his eyes, that were used to the skyscrapers of a megacity. But there were no noisy streets, no curious neighbors with bad taste in music and most importantly no one to bother them. It may not be forever, but it surely was the best solution for now.

Eddie arrived at the supermarket and hurried through the aisles. He hated these big markets. But there was no Mrs. Chen around, not chit-chat or friendly advice, not even a smile. Just cold, lifeless puppets doing their job. Or at least that’s what it felt for Eddie. But since nobody paid any attention to him anyway, nobody would bat an eye if he talked to himself a little.

“Hey V, do you want something too?”

Silence. “V, you asleep?” More silence.

After waiting some moments, he just sighed and made for the cashier. Now that he thought about it, Venom hadn’t said anything since they had left the house. He hadn’t even realized it, since Venom had been quiet most of the time while they had been forced to live with Annie and Dan, so he guessed he was somehow used to it by now. But now that he had realized it, it started bugging him.

He paid, hurriedly packed everything and started his way back.

“Venom, you alright?”, he whispered to himself on his way out. An old lady gave him a VERY suspicious look and looked after him as he left the store. Sighing, Eddie decided to stop at the thrift store down the road to finally get himself a headset. He didn’t really care what people would think about him, if he talked to himself all the time, but this was no big city. In a small town like this, rumors would spread in no time and it would be over with his peaceful new life. If he was wearing a headset, people would simply figure he was calling someone. It was a pain in the ass to care about people’s opinions, but for now, he just had to put up with it.

 

~~~

 

When Eddie got home an hour later, packed with so many bags he had problems to get them through the door, he started to get worried. Venom hadn’t said a single word, had not reacted to him in any way. Eddie bit his lip and sorted away all the food he got into cupboards and the fridge, then unpacked the stuff from the thrift store too. Some minutes later, he did not have anything left to do to distract himself from the strange silence in his head.

“Venom, for heaven’s sake, just SAY something!”

He waited, but nothing. Slowly, he got impatient. After two more attempts to lure Venom out, he gave up.

“Fine, damn parasite”, he mumbled to himself and not even a second later, his feet lifted off the ground. His organs seemed to sort themselves completely new and he felt his heart stopping, then beating double as hard as usual. His body was flung back, was crashed hard against the wall. Pitch-black tentacles wound around his shoulders, his neck, his feet, which dangled helplessly above the floor. Eddie gave a low choking sound, his heart racing, but his body unable to fight.

Slowly, Venom’s head emerged from his chest, Eddie could feel the trickling sensation of it.

**Parasite???**

Venom’s voice was different again. His anger was apparent, not only in his harsh tone, but also in his milky, big eyes, which were drawn into slits now. Eddie couldn’t help but swallow hard, unable to say anything. Inside, a mixture of his own fear and Venom’s anger began to form. He could feel both at the same time, but also, he felt a hint of… lust?

**You insult me AGAIN, after you insulted me BEFORE?**

Eddie’s vision narrowed to Venom’s mouth. Vicious teeth hovered right in front of his face, saliva dripping onto his chest. Any sane human-being would yell and fight and try to run for their life. But Eddie? While his brain was looking for the right words to make up for this, his body decided to react very different. For now, his brain won: “I-… I’m sorry… I… just wanted you to talk again, so…” He choked a little and the tentacle on his throat retreated just enough to make his breathing easier.

“I won’t call you that again, promised. Just…” He coughed a little to get his lungs working again. “Just don’t stop talking to me out of the blue!”

**Dumbass.**

That was all Venom said, before his mouth opened wide to give way to his tongue. Before Eddie’s brain could react, his body had already decided. His lips parted automatically, inviting the tongue inside, just like back then in the woods. Before he knew, they were kissing, sloppy, wet and full of tongue. Eddie felt dizzy, his body soon in urgent need of oxygen. A weak sound escaped his throat, simultaneously begging to stop this and needy for more. Stars exploded in front of his closed eyes, his body begging for oxygen. In what felt like the last second before unconsciousness hit, Venom retreated and left Eddie sucking in air so hastily, he went dizzy all over again.

Eddie felt his body shifting, his limbs untangling from the tentacles holding him against the wall. Slowly, he sunk down, his feet touching the floor again, but unable to hold up his weight. He opened his eyes just moments later and found himself sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Venom’s head was hovering in front of him, eyeing him silently, while Eddie was still trying to catch his breath.

“What… what was that?”, he finally managed to get out, still confused and dizzy.

**Proof.**

Eddie blinked, focusing his gaze back on Venom. “For what?” For a moment, his Symbiote seemed too frustrated to answer, his eyes changing just enough for Eddie to realize the short moment of hesitation.

**‘Home’ – I know what you mean. That feeling of belonging.**

Eddie’s confusion grew, then he began to understand. So, Venom had been serious, when he told him, that HE was his home?

**Yes, Eddie. ‘Home’ is ‘You’…**

Eddie closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. So, Venom had been angry, because he had made fun of what somehow had felt like an awkward love confession. Perfect.

“Listen V… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make fun of you, it’s just… Humans usually don’t talk so… so honest about their feelings.” Now Venom seemed puzzled, so Eddie just lifted his hand to lightly stroke over Venom’s head. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. I’m just not used to that.” Which reminded him-

“And also… I’ll probably never get used to your tongue in my throat so…”

**You liked it!**

“No, I…”

**You liked it!**

“Listen, V! It’s too slippery, too wet, WAY too much tongue and I can’t brea-…”

**YOU LIKED IT!**

Eddie mumbled something that sounded like ‘Yeah, maybe’ but could also have been a ‘Oh, fuck you’. Anyway, Venom seemed to be content with it, at least he looked like he was grinning. Eddie preferred to let this topic rest for now. It was already 6pm and he didn’t even have breakfast yet. Important talk shouldn’t be done on an empty stomach, so he distracted himself with cooking for now.

Later this evening, when Eddie was almost asleep on the sofa, watching an old detective movie on TV, Venom pulled his blanket from the bed (which he hadn’t assembled today as originally planned) and wrapped Eddie in it.

**The way you called me today… ‘V’… I like it!**

Eddie smiled lazily, cuddling into the warmth surrounding him. It fit. Eddie and V – and together they're Venom.


	3. Chapter 3

Eddy woke early in the morning.

He didn’t know what had disrupted his dreamless sleep, just all of a sudden he was wide awake. Growling softly, he turned and tried to cuddle back into the soft blanket, hoping to fall asleep again. He listened to the clock ticking and cursed himself for even putting it up. He hated the ticking noise, but it had been a housewarming present from Anne and Dan, so he had felt bad letting it sit in the box forever.

**Why is it making sounds?**

Venoms growl vibrated through Eddies body. “Clocks do that…”, he explained lazily, blinking at the window. It was slowly dawning and Eddies body hurt from sleeping on the sofa. Maybe getting up was the best idea. It was his last day off anyway. Tomorrow he would start his new job at the “News daily”, a local newspaper in a town almost an hour away. He preferred to work from home and they were completely ok with that, since they only had a small office for already too many employees. So Eddy would only have to show up once or twice a month maybe. It was better this way, Eddy did not know how Venom would react to being forced to silence during office hours on a daily base. Sure, it was not the job of Eddies dreams, but it paid reasonably and he still had enough time to work on one-time projects for other magazines.

**This is unnerving!**

Eddy sat up and yawned loudly. So Venom still thought about the stupid clock. “I’ll remove the batteries…”, he mumbled, scratching his chin. Yawning again, he got up and into the bathroom. A tired, exhausted man was looking at him through the mirror. Poor guy… Eddy decided to shave him and wash his face, maybe this poor creature would look a little bit better then.

While he got to work, his thoughts travelled off. There were still so many things for Venom to learn. For V, he reminded himself. His Symbiote only started to understand what life on earth was like. How it was like to be human. Or well… to be >with< a human. Anyways, he needed to learn a lot more. Sometimes, V asked questions just like a kid, naïve, even cute, sometimes it was strange questions, almost creepy. Like why a clock was ticking, or who had decided that cannibalism was bad.

Most of the time, Eddy tried his best to stay patient and answer the best way he could. But sometimes, he just didn’t find the right words or there was simply no time. But there was something else, he kept wondering about…

“V, you told me, you can read my mind…”, he began, after finishing brushing his teeth.

**Of course I can.**

“I just wondered… couldn’t you answer a lot of your questions, by simply looking it up in my memory or something?” Eddy shivered as fine tendrils emerged through his skin and merged into V’s head beside him. He was no longer startled by his sudden appearance, but still it felt… unusual? Eddy couldn’t find a fitting word for it. He arrived in the kitchen and shoved V’s head aside softly, so he could reach the coffee machine.

**Remember the first night at Anne’s place?**

Eddy gave him a questioning look. What did THAT have to do with it? “Awful night, had the worst nightmares!”, he answered, shuddering with the memory.

**That was me.**

He stopped and set down the jar where he kept his coffee. “WHAT? YOU gave me nightmares? Wasn’t that whole… THING… we were through enough?”

**I did not do it on purpose. I tried to understand your world and since you sleep a lot, I tried to find answers myself…**

V seemed hesitant, a little unsure on how to explain.

**Human brains are complicated. So many layers of subconscious, everything unsorted and in disarray. When I tried to sort through it, I triggered some old memories to surface again.**

Eddy thought about it. It made sense. In his nightmares, he had seen the ghosts and monsters of his childhood, had felt again the terror of being all alone and helpless, himself only a small boy cowering in the darkness. He swallowed a lump forming in his throat.

**I can easily see your current thoughts, and I can also use your basic skills like driving, reading, languages. But I guess you would prefer if I keep out of your memories.**

Taking a deep breath, Eddy nodded. “I’d be thankful…”, he mumbled and concentrated on making coffee. This gave him some time to sort out this new information.  So V could only see – figuratively speaking – the top and bottom layers of his brain. Thoughts and Skills. This was interesting. So theoretically, he could buy a lexicon for V to read and learn. A good idea, if Eddy wouldn’t be sure that V would get bored of that very soon.

Eddy prepared breakfast: buttered toast and black coffee for himself, scrambled eggs, bacon and chocolate cornflakes for V. Some helpful tentacles emerged and set everything on the table, so Eddy only had to sit down on the sofa. “So, what do you want to do today? It’s my last day off, tomorrow will be a long day at work…”

V scooped up a piece of bacon with his tongue and playfully threw it in the air before swallowing it whole. Eddy chuckled softly and sipped on his coffee.

**Zoo.**

“What?” Did he get that correctly? “You want to go to the zoo?” How did V even know what that was?

 **Saw an advertisement for that yesterday**.

Eddy threw him a look. “No eating any animals there!” V made a face and huffed softly.

**Bring enough chocolate then.**

 

~~~

 

They left the zoo in the afternoon, when it got crowded with schools kids and their parents. V had been very excited on their tour and Eddy had to remind him several times, that people would see him and panic if he popped out too far. Good thing he had remembered to wear his new headphones, so people didn’t give him strange looks. At least, not as many as usual, he had to admit his outfit was a little strange for a nice sunny spring day: Black pants, a grey sweater and a wide black jacket that made it easier to hide for V.

Eddy had told V to get his favorite animal as a plush toy from the souvenir shop, because he had been a very good symbiote today. V had only sulked for a minute, then chose the giant squid, which he insisted looked just like him, just white and lame. Eddy had laughed and ignored the looks he got from the cashier.

Now, they were back in the car, the giant plush squid their co-driver. “What’s next?”, Eddy asked, curious on what V would choose.

**Home, order some more pizza!**

Eddy sighed. Of course it was food that came to his mind. “How about we grab some burgers and chicken wings on our way home?”, he offered and V agreed happily.

 

~~~

 

On their way home they talked about the animals the had seen today. Eddie had taken his time and made sure he let V know every fact he knew about every animal that seemed interesting to his symbiote. On his home planet, the only species had been symbiotes, V had told him, leaving Eddy wondering again about what symbiotes ate there. Maybe the plants there contained other nutrients, so they did not need to be carnivores? Eddy doubted it, but did not ask. V did not seem to like talking about his past, even less about his home planet, so Eddy had decided to let this topic rest.

**The elephants looked delicious!**

Eddy laughed and stopped the car in front of their house. “I doubt even YOU could eat an elephant!”, he remarked, waiting for some tentacles to grab their food and the squid before leaving the car.

**I think you prefer me not to try.**

“Correct. See? You learned a lot today, I’m proud of you!” They made their way inside and Eddy hurried to unwrap everything, before V could make a mess. His Symbiote waited patiently, head resting on Eddies shoulder.

**How do you know which animals you can eat?**

Eddy looked at V, puzzled. “What do you mean? You can’t eat any animal in a zoo!”

**So if you put a cow in a zoo, you can’t eat it?**

Oh. Eddy made a low ‘hmmmm’ noise and took a bite from his cheeseburger, thinking about how to explain. “It’s more like… you know, people use animals for different purposes. For example, as a pet: No eating pets! Other animals are held especially as lifestock, like pigs. Then there are cows and chicken, they give us milk and eggs and meat, too.” He bit in his burger again, took some time to chew and swallow.

“The animals we keep in zoos are only for people to see them. Most are rare animals, or animals from distant countries, so without traveling the world, we would not be able to see them all.”

V grabbed some chicken wings and threw them in his mouth. Bones cracking between his teeth, he chew and swallowed. He seems to be thinking about this explanation.

**This is complicated…**

Eddy smiled. “You’ll learn soon enough.” A whole burger disappeared in V’s mouth.

**I learned enough about animals today**

“Yes, you’re right!” Eddy grabbed the remote and switched on the TV. Munching on his second burger, he zapped through the programs. They sat there in silence for a while, but it only lasted to the last chicken wing.

**Teach me about humans next!**

Eddy looked away from the stupid old horror movie and looked at V. His symbiote seemed serious in his request. “What exactly do you want to know?”, he asked, unsure of what V was asking for. V’s eyes focused on him, a slightly impatient gaze. After what felt like an eternity to Eddy, he finally got an answer.

**Let’s start easy: How did humans manage to be the ruling race, when you are so weak and breakable?**

There was a low growl in his voice, deep, rumbling, setting Eddies nerves on edge. It sounded almost like a threat, not a question, but Eddy forced himself to stay calm. “I guess… it’s because of our tools. Early humans started to use primitive tools to accomplish certain tasks… we never stopped improving our tools since then, so…” He swallowed hard, V’s gaze still fixed on him. It seemed his Symbiote wasn’t really happy with that answer.

**You are lucky no one found out about this place yet, this planet would be easy pray for pretty much any species from other galaxies.**

V moved his head and scooped up the chicken bones Eddy had left. Crunching them between his teeth he eyed the table but found all the wrappers and boxes empty. Eddy shuddered. Thinking about aliens invading earth had always been a one of his nightmares as a kid – but never had it been so real, so possible. Not even 6 weeks ago he had find it impossible that aliens even existed!

**Don’t worry…**

V’s head turned, came closer and their foreheads touched. It was a calming, almost intimate gesture, which Eddy was secretly grateful for. Automatically, his hand came up to softly stroke V’s head.

**We will protect this planet.**

Eddy smiled, closing his eyes for a moment, to let this feeling sink in. This strange awareness that they really COULD do that. Protect earth.


End file.
